In the manufacture of textiles, and in particular bedding, the sewing operations traditionally have been extremely labor intensive, manual operations that generally require highly skilled workers for cutting, sewing, finishing and assembling textile articles such as mattresses, foundation sets or other, similar articles. The more labor intensive the sewing operation and the greater the skill required of the operator(s) to cut, finish and assemble the components thereof, the greater the cost and the slower the production of such articles. For example, in the manufacture of mattresses, and especially in forming pillow-top or Euro-top type mattresses, a top panel that generally includes multiple fabric and/or cushion/foam layers, generally is cut to a desired size or length, such as for a king, queen, twin or other size mattress, and then is generally sewn to a flanging material. The panel then is applied over a spring set for the mattress, with the flanging material being pulled down over the side edge of the spring set and hog-ringed or stapled to a spring to secure the top panel of the mattress thereto. Thereafter, a border typically is attached about the sides of the mattress, covering the flanging material and springs, and a lower panel is attached, after which a tape edge is applied along the edges or seams between the top and bottom panels and the border.
Currently, there exist automatic systems that enable workers to measure, cut and sew borders, attachment gussets and other parts of a mattress or foundation. The drawback of such automated equipment, however, is that it typically has been limited in the type and number of sewing operations that can be performed. In addition, many operations in a bedding plant are often separated or spread apart so that the components typically are formed, cut and then compiled or transported to the next station for further processing or for storage until they can be finished and/or attached to other bedding components as needed. Such separation of the sewing or finishing stations is often due to the limited amount of space in the plant and ultimately leads to manufacturing inefficiencies.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a system for finishing panels such as for mattresses, foundations, etc., that addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.